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Legislators push to reform state DWI laws
In 2025, Minnesota lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at making changes to Minnesota's DWI policies. The announcement took place at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park, the site where two people were killed, and nine others were injured by a suspected impaired driver.
FRIDLEY, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man sentenced in 2016 to two counts of vehicular homicide for driving drunk and speeding through a red light in Sauk Rapids – killing two people during a crash – has been charged with driving while impaired after being pulled over in Fridley earlier this week.
Drunk driver who killed couple charged
What we know:
In April 2016, Tom Souvannaphong was sentenced to 84 months – or seven years – in prison on two counts of criminal vehicular homicide in connection to a August 2015 crash, during which authorities say he was driving drunk when he sped through a red light and struck another vehicle, killing a husband and wife who were involved in the auto racing scene in Minnesota.
According to previous reporting, around the time of the incident, Kevin and Kathy Davey, of Hibbing, were contributors to the operations of Hibbing Raceway.
Witnesses estimate that Souvannaphong was driving 50 to 60 mph in the 30-mph zone before the collision that occurred at North Benton Drive and 2nd Street North, according to charges at the time.
During an investigation, charges state that witnesses say Souvannaphong "floored it" through what was described as "a solid red light."
A preliminary breath test registered 0.101%. At the time, Souvannaphong had no valid driver’s license, according to the charges.
A third person that was riding with the Daveys, Krista Miller, was also injured during the crash, but later recovered.
At the time the crash occurred, Souvannaphong had a prior conviction for DWI from 2014.
Tom Souvannaphong charged again
Dig deeper:
According to charges filed in Anoka County on April 6, 2026 – one week shy of 10 years since he was sentenced for the Sauk Rapids crash – Souvannaphong was charged with one count of driving while impaired and refusing to submit to a breath test.
Charges state that on April 3, he was driving northbound on University Avenue Northeast in Fridley, when a police officer on patrol noticed his vehicle was swerving in the road and could not maintain its lane.
The officer then stopped the vehicle driven by Souvannaphong, and upon speaking with him, reportedly smelled alcohol. Charges state that Souvannaphong admitted to having "a single beer."
The charges say that Souvannaphong consented to a field sobriety test, during which he showed six out of six clues for impairment, and declined to do both the one-leg stand and walk-and-turn requirements.
A preliminary breath test then showed an initial result of a blood-alcohol content level of 0.157 – nearly twice the legal limit in Minnesota of .08.
He was then taken to the Fridley Police Station, where he refused to take a breath test.
Charges state that Souvannaphong currently has a driver’s license that is revoked, and could not provide any proof of insurance during the incident.
What's next:
According to Souvannaphong’s previous sentence guidelines, any subsequent DWI in his lifetime would constitute a felony.
The Source: Information provided by charges filed in Anoka County and previous reporting.